SALEM, Mass. -- Sophomore midfielder Brittney Field (Hubbardston, MA) scored the only goal of the game with just under four minutes remaining to propel the Bridgewater State Bears to a 1-0 Little East Conference victory over the Salem State Vikings at Alumni Field on Tuesday evening.
Bridgewater extended its' winning streak to a program best ten games as the Bears improve to 13-2 on the season and 8-1 in the Little East. The visitors remain in a three-way tie for second place in the LEC standings along with UMass Dartmouth and Plymouth State. Salem falls to 6-8 overall and 4-5 in conference play.
Both teams struggled to put shots on net in a scoreless first half. Salem had the best scoring opportunity in the frame on a breakaway shot by Katie Pietrini (Beverly, MA) in the 27th minute. BSU senior goaltender Kacie Sturgeon (Dartmouth, Mass.), however, made a kick save to keep the Vikings off the board.
The second half continued to be a defensive affair, as each team struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Opportunities were limited to corner attempts, where Salem State held a 10-8 advantage for the game, but the home team could not muster a quality shot on goal as the Bears' defense prevented second chance opportunities.
The game appeared to be headed for overtime until Bridgewater State was able to keep the ball in their zone after a corner attempt, and Field muscled in a shot from Brittany Cullinane (Lunenburg, MA) after a scramble ensued in front of Salem State's net.
Sturgeon (13-2) recorded two saves post her conference leading eighth shutout of the season and 13th of her career. She also lowered her save percentage to .892 and goals against average to 0.71. Sturgeon entered the game ranked second in all of Division III in save percentage and eighth in goals against average.
BSU junior Sarah Gendron (North Dighton, Mass.) came up with a big defensive save for the Bears in the 44th minute to keep the game scoreless at the time.
Freshman Carolyn Woodin (Arlington, MA) stopped two shots in between the pipes for the Vikings.
Both teams will host Little East foes on Saturday which also marks Senior Day for each squad. Salem takes on Westfield State at noon, while Bridgewater entertains Eastern Connecticut State at six.